Located near Bracebridge in Ontario, Canada, the Stealth Cabin was designed by Superkul to be both a low cost and low environmental impact home and they achieved this by focusing on local materials and local carpenters. Cedar was used throughout the home, both inside and out while large wood frame windows and doors overlook the lake to the south. A long cedar deck follows the length of the home in the back while a large cedar roof overhang frames the entry area. The cedar has been left untreated, and as the weather dries and bleaches it, the cedar is taking on a silvery grey shade similar to the boulders within the landscape allowing the home to harmonize with its natural surroundings. Using both shakes and siding, the architect has created a monochromatic scheme of textural differences that is then enhanced by the large expanses of glass and the screened sunroom.
The front of the residence is kept private with the exception of the sunroom. Here, horizontal cedar planks clad the façade, wrapping up and along the underside of the extended roofline. Cedar 1×1 shade strips surrounding the sunroom windows continue the horizontal lines while two small walls create verticality that is repeated within the surrounding trees. The two small walls also create a natural frame to hold the home’s supply of firewood.
To allow for natural drainage from rain water run off, the architects chose to implement a gravel walkway rather then use concrete pavers or wood chips. Pavers do not offer drainage, and wood chips can lead a forest fire right to the front door.
Upon entering the residence a small foyer leads either right to the private zone of the residence or left to the public zone. Each zone is clad in knotty cedar siding and the public zone features a double volume height complete with skylights and fans to circulate air during the summer months.
The kitchen is a study of grey and white as a contrast to the warmer cedar tones. Even the bar stools are grey and white.
The window seat next to the kitchen can convert into an extra bed if needed, but otherwise it makes an awesome spot to kick back and relax.
The dining area is right next to the kitchen and features a stunning reclaimed tabletop on a polished chrome base. The 6 green chairs bring a blast of colour into the interior while keeping to the natural colours within the forest and lake views. A painting in the kitchen area picks up on the same shade of green featured in the chairs.
The social zone is created via an open floor plan that starts with the kitchen and follows consecutively to the dining area, living area and finally the sunroom. While the kitchen is light grey and white, the living zone is much darker with its slate grey and black colour scheme. Even the supporting column within the window wall is a matte black. Above the windows a series of spotlights are pointed upward to create a flood of ambient lighting while on the other side the wall spots point down, creating task lighting.
The small footprint of the family cottage was specifically designed to integrate with the forest and lake beyond and even the design aesthetics within the home have managed to do just that. The greens of the chairs almost bring the greens of the forest inside while the dark shades used in the living room continue the deep shadows of the forest. It is a singular colour story, which offers a feeling of being within the forest rather then within a home.
The sunroom offers a bright, warm and cozy place to hang out during the chilly Ontario winter season and the cedar slats running horizontally in front of the windows means that the space stays comfortable even during the heat of the summer.
The clients originally couldn’t agree on whether they wanted a log cabin or a modern residence and Superkul architects managed to give them the best of both.
Superkul
